Blackboatd Ally Workflow For PDFs

Step 4: Remediate the Document

If the document was created by faculty or staff, or is otherwise available to you in an editable format, follow the appropriate remediation path below based on the file type.

Microsoft Word Documents

• If you have the source file: Use the built-in Microsoft Word Accessibility Checker to identify and remediate content directly within the document.

• If you only have a PDF: Refer to the Video Tutorial: PDF to Word Conversion to convert the document back to an editable, responsive structure before fixing.

• Guidance: Comprehensive written and video directions are available on the Accessible Word Documents with Slide page.

PowerPoint Slide Decks

• If you have the source file: Use the Microsoft PowerPoint Accessibility Checker to remediate the presentation, focusing on reading order and alternative text.

• If the source file is unavailable, Remediate the PDF directly using the accessibility tools in Adobe Acrobat Pro to repair tagging and structural barriers.

• Video Support: Follow the Video Tutorial: Adobe Acrobat Pro Remediation for a step-by-step walkthrough of the repair process.

• Guidance: Detailed instructions can be found on the  Accessible PowerPoint Documents with Slide and Remediate PDF's with Adobe Acrobat .

Step 5: Add the document Back to Blackboard

When finalizing your remediation, choose the most accessible delivery method for students:

• Option A (Recommended): Course Page. If a download is not required, copy the content into a Blackboard Ultra Document. This ensures it is natively responsive and accessible.

• Option B: Source File. Provide the original Word or PowerPoint file if students need to manipulate text size, spacing, or fonts for their specific needs.

• Option C: Tagged PDF. If a fixed layout is required, export a new Tagged PDF from your fixed source file following accessibility best practices.

Follow these instructions for third-party materials.

Step 4: Check for Born Accessible and Remediated versions

Before beginning manual remediation for Orange or Red items, attempt to locate an existing accessible version:

• IDEA Team Content Library: For courses taught in multiple sections, access the SSW Accessible Content Folder to see if the item has already been remediated by another instructor

• Library Search: If your resources is older than two years there may already be a more accessible version availalble Check the HSHSL for a more recent, accessible digital version of the document.

Step 5: Remediate

Orange Indicator

• Evaluation: If a newer version is unavailable or is still inaccessible you will need to remediate this document using the following support pages.  Most orange items can be remediated within 10 or 20 minutes, depending on the length of the document. Documents with tables and extensive images may take longer. 

Tool Selection:

• Remediate PDF's with Equidox. We recommend using Equidox for textbooks and items containing a large number of tables.

• Remediate PDF's with Adobe Acrobat: For documents with a more simple, predictable format, we recommend using Adobe Acrobat Pro.

• Note that Ally is projected to develop a tagging tool that can be used in blackboard before Fall of 2026.  That tagging tool is likely to produce accessible documents from organge indicator items.  

Red Indicator

• Pedagogical Assessment: Determine if the document is still necessary for the course.

• If the Document is Necessary If no updated version was found take the following actions:

• Library Consultation: Contact the University Library to locate an existing digital version. 

• Digital Scan Request: Request a high-quality, OCR-ready scan via Interlibrary Loan (ILL) and contact the library or IDEATeam for support in remediation.

• If the Document is Not Necessary

  • Course Cleanup: Remove the document from the course to eliminate the accessibility barrier for all students.

• Remediation Recommendation: We recommend remediating publisher-created academic articles, as they can generally be tagged rapidly using automated tagging.  We do not recommend OCRing (Optical Character Recognition) and tagging photocopied items unless no other similar course item can be found, as these documents require an estimated 10–20+ minutes per page. Example: A 10-page article may take 2–3+ hours.

Light Green Indicator

• Immediate Actions: Follow all available remediation steps directly within the Ally report interface.

• Resource Linking: Provide a library permalink whenever possible to ensure students can access the original, formatted version of record.

• Priority Status: Deprioritize full remediation for these items, as they are generally functional for most student use.

• Accommodations Note: These items may not fully support students with text-based disabilities or those requiring screen readers; therefore, these documents must be remediated immediately upon receipt of an official accommodation notice.